Coulrophobia

[Tunnelcat]

Since Frank Avruch died this week, also know for a long time as BOZO the Clown, it now begs the question, why are Americans so afraid of clowns, especially when clowns used to be considered as something funny? Anyone here really afraid of clowns? Do they creep you out? Why? I've always considered them idiotic and ridiculous, even the scary looking ones. I guess it's because the ones I remember from my 1950's childhood TV and circus days were usually idiotic, ridiculous and not funny and that's the way I'll always remember them.

It seems that this "fear and revulsion" in the U.S. began during the counter-culture movement of the 1960's and really took off sometime in the 1980's. Why in the 1980's of all times? Anyone know? In fact most kids today really don't like clowns. Maybe that's why you rarely see Ronald McDonald in a commercial anymore. It must be the creep factor or the fact that funny clowns were a 1950's "thing" and are now passé. Or because of Stephan King and his movie "IT", for giving jerks the idea that chasing or attacking people dressed as evil clowns is their twisted idea of sick fun.

https://apnews.com/533cac182c5841659222fd99f9d00a83

https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/03/health/c ... index.html

[callmeslick]

it's odd.....I grew up seeing clowns, often some family friends of my dad, who was a Shriner. I attended the Shrine Circus every year. Never much felt strongly either pro or con-clowns. However, my daughter always feared/hated them, with zero prompt from either my wife or myself. Maybe modern Americans just make for crappy clowns.........